Festival Music Schedule

Rodney Dillard — A Living Legend

A Living Legend at the Spring Planting Festival!

The Baker Creek Spring Planting Festival is honored to welcome a true American music icon: Rodney Dillard, founding member of The Dillards — one of the most influential bluegrass and Americana bands in history. Best known to many as one of “The Darlings” on the beloved Andy Griffith Show, Rodney helped bring mountain music into living rooms across the nation and around the world.

Hailing from Salem, Missouri, The Dillards revolutionized American music in the 1960s and beyond — not only preserving bluegrass traditions but pushing the genre into new territory by blending folk, country, rock, and even orchestral elements. As one of the first groups to electrify bluegrass instruments, experiment with vocal layering, and cover pop songs through a bluegrass lens, The Dillards inspired a generation of artists including Don Henley, Elton John, John Paul Jones, and The Byrds.

Rodney Dillard, now the last surviving original member of the group, continues to carry that musical torch, performing, recording, and preserving the spirit of a simpler time rooted in values of family, community, and tradition — all themes shared with our festival.

With a legacy that includes over 60 years of recordings, TV and film appearances, and induction into multiple Halls of Fame, Rodney’s performance is more than just a concert — it’s a celebration of American heritage and storytelling through song. Whether you’re a fan of bluegrass, a Mayberry enthusiast, or just love hearing from a true musical pioneer, this is a rare opportunity to see one of the greats up close. Come experience the charm, humor, and heart of Rodney Dillard — right here at Baker Creek!

Richard Bennett & Fiddling Leona

Bluegrass Duo from East Tennessee and Tokyo, Japan

Richard Bennett is a master guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose career is deeply woven into the fabric of American roots music. A Tennessee native, he was touring professionally by age fifteen with Benny Sims, drawing early inspiration from John Hartford. In the 1990s, he joined J.D. Crowe & The New South, appearing on the Grammy-nominated 1995 album Flashback. He has since performed alongside legends including Bobby Osborne, Vassar Clements, Mike Auldridge, Jimmy Gaudreau, Tony Rice, and Wyatt Rice. With multiple releases on Lonesome Day Records and Pinecastle Records, Bennett’s music has reached audiences across bluegrass, folk, and Americana.

Leona is a vocalist and fiddler from Tokyo, Japan, now based in Tennessee. Raised in a musical family—her father, Dr. K, has been a professional guitarist since the 1970s—she began studying violin at age four before pursuing bluegrass in the United States. After attending fiddle camps in Nashville in 2004, Leona enrolled in the Bluegrass and Country Music program at East Tennessee State University in 2006, becoming the program’s first international graduate. She has performed at South by Southwest, toured with the American Bluegrass Masters Tour alongside artists including Bobby Osborne and J.D. Crowe, and headlined the United States Marine Corps Futenma Flightline Festival in Okinawa. Leona has released three solo albums in the U.S. and Japan. In 2024, she began recording a new self-titled project, already producing three Top 10 singles. Blending technical mastery with deep musical roots, she continues to carve out her place as one of bluegrass music’s most compelling and exciting voices.